Weathering of Limestone, Volume II

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2024) | Viewed by 1916

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw, 00-927 Warszawa, Poland
Interests: weathering in microscale; geochemistry; climate influence on weathering; geoarcheology; stratigraphy; quaternary; quartz grains
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw, 00-927 Warszawa, Poland
Interests: weathering in cold climates; stone surface microroughness; relative dating of landforms; photointerpretation of landforms and fossil geological structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The weathering of limestone plays a significant role in the development of landscapes, soil formation, decay of buildings and monuments, and global-scale shifting of carbon from the atmosphere to the land and the ocean. Carbonate rocks undergo complex rock decay processes including chemical, mechanical, and biological weathering, operating from the outcrop scale down to the atomic scale. Scientific research utilizes field, experimental, and laboratory studies. Wearing not only changes the surface and the internal texture of the rock but also its chemical and mineral composition. Furthermore, microbial communities can develop on and inside the rocks (lithobionts), resulting in rock decay by acidification, fissuring, and moisturization. However, the role of microbiota is still not well understood. Weathering of carbonate walls and monuments influences their geotechnical properties, thus it also constitutes a serious engineering problem. The degree of deterioration of ancient limestone buildings can provide archaeologists with valuable information about their age and it is a focus of conservation practices.

Studies of weathering microtextures, geochemistry, and isotopic content of rock constitute one of the main trends in contemporary geosciences. We look for appropriate models of the time-dependent evolution of the limestone weathering. This Special Issue of Minerals will be focused on new results of studies on different scales and both scientific aspects and more practical, engineering solutions. We especially welcome studies on the interaction between chemical, mechanical, and biological weathering, the effects of limestone weathering and calcite precipitation in various scales.

We welcome studies that utilize various research methods, including the following: complexometry, SEM, EDS analysis, Ion Beam Analysis, x-ray powder diffraction, extracting DNA for metagenomics analyses, and rock surface micro-roughness measuring techniques, among others. They all result in our better understanding of microscale processes and allow for better focusing of research outcomes and conclusions.

Prof. Dr. Barbara Woronko
Dr. Maciej Dąbski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • chemical weathering
  • karstificiation
  • mechanical weathering
  • biological weathering
  • lithobionts
  • microscale weathering
  • new measuring techniques
  • weathering microforms
  • weathering macroforms
  • weathering rinds
  • weathering coating
  • engineering
  • geoarcheology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 18140 KiB  
Article
The Development of Limestone Weathering Rind in a Proglacial Environment of the Hallstätter Glacier
by Maciej Dąbski, Ireneusz Badura, Marlena Kycko, Anna Grabarczyk, Renata Matlakowska and Jan-Christoph Otto
Minerals 2023, 13(4), 530; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13040530 - 09 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1192
Abstract
The contemporary retreat of glaciers results in the development of glacial forelands which constitute excellent areas for studies on the initial stages of weathering. This research concentrates on weathering rinds developed on glacially abraded Dachstein limestone surfaces (Eastern Alps) liberated from glacial ice [...] Read more.
The contemporary retreat of glaciers results in the development of glacial forelands which constitute excellent areas for studies on the initial stages of weathering. This research concentrates on weathering rinds developed on glacially abraded Dachstein limestone surfaces (Eastern Alps) liberated from glacial ice since LIA (mid-19th century). We performed measurements of rock surface micro-roughness and strength (Schmidt hammer), spectral reflectance, and petrographic and microbiological analyses in SEM. There was a time-dependent increase in micro-roughness, decrease in rock strength and decrease in spectral reflectivity, but only within visual light. Rock surfaces on older sites reflected infrared radiation significantly better than younger ones. SEM analysis revealed that angular micro-structures inherited from glacial abrasion dominated in younger sites, eventually giving way to more rounded micro-structures. The structure of rock (micrite versus spar, phlogopite veinlets, etc.) plays a significant role. On older sites, microorganisms were detected within the studied weathering rinds, which probably results in better infrared reflectivity. We advocate the potential role of microorganisms (mainly heterotrophic) in the dissolution of limestone, and the role of cyanobacteria in the formation of the secondary porous limestone layer (extracellular biomineralization). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weathering of Limestone, Volume II)
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